As I prepared him for his new island home in Tomodachi Life for Nintendo 3DS, I mulled whether to give him a proper makeover to mirror the follicle challenges I’ve encountered since his original creation on the Wii. I didn’t.

Soon after getting him moved in and fed, my Mii hits me with this:

“I wish my hair was better,” he says. “Know what I mean?”

Why yes I do, Mii me.

Tomodachi Life has plenty of bizarro moments like this. Nintendo’s trademark Mii characters — digital approximations of friends, family, celebrities and figures historical and fictional — often act out-of-the-ordinary, like singing a musical tune on stage or anchoring a TV news report.

But the real charm comes when these Miis do or say something that mimics their real-life versions. You give them their voice, personality, clothes, catchphrase, mannerisms and more. And when it all clicks, man, it’s something.

It’s just a shame this charm and other wackiness gets stale quickly, not delving much below the surface.

Tomodachi Life falls under the life-simulation genre, alongside games like The Sims and Animal Crossing. It’s a sequel to a popular Japan-only title Tomodachi Collection, with that first word meaning “friend.”

This 3DS version might sound familiar due to some negative attention Nintendo received regarding the game’s dating mechanics. Same-sex couples aren’t allowed, and the North America branch’s initial response of not trying to make “social commentary” caught a lot of flak. The company then apologized and said it’d make any future Tomodachi installments more inclusive, but said it’s too late and too big of a change to alter this current release.

The game starts out with you putting your Mii on an uninhabited island, which you name. A Mii can be created from scratch, imported from those already on your system or scanned in with a QR code.

It goes beyond normal Mii creation. These Miis talk and behave on their own, and you can alter their voices and personalities.

Your Mii then moves into its new apartment on the island. This process repeats itself as you add island residents.

You don’t directly control the Miis. Instead they behave independently, asking you — your Mii’s “look-alike,” as they call you — to help them with their problems. And unlike The Sims and Animal Crossing, you can ignore their troubles at no penalty. You’re free to explore as you see fit.

Troubled Miis can be spotted inside their apartments. They might be hungry, desire a new outfit, need advice on how to make friends or want to play a game. The degree to which you solve these issues causes their happiness level to go up, like experience level in an RPG.

Rising to a new level corresponds to something new for the Mii. You can pick among a range of songs, items like a hula-dancing manual, new interiors for their apartment or a catchphrase.

Miis can perform on stage together as they learn new songs. (Courtesy Nintendo)

As the island’s population increases, more areas are unlocked (as announced on breaking “Mii News” updates). There are shops to buy items and places like a coffeehouse and an amusement park where Miis can hang out, as well as special events daily.

Miis tag along with others on the island as they make friends. It was weird, yet amusing, to see my Mii become best friends with Severus Snape.

(Snape, by the way, at one point said, “I worry people don’t realize how fantastic I am.” He’s complicated.)

Then there’s romantic relationships. Miis develop crushes, ask for advice and go on dates. Marriage proposals are a mini-game, wherein you have to tap the lower screen when the other Mii is thinking of the proposer.

Babies come with married life, but my Mii hasn’t yet experienced any bundles of joy. And if parenthood freaks you out, a menu option lets you avoid that.

It’s entertaining to watch the Miis’ lives play out. It’s smart, in a way, for Nintendo to make a game like this. These Miis that have become ubiquitous in the company’s titles finally have personalities and actions that you influence. I can’t help think about how my Mii just danced around on stage before it gets behind the wheel in Mario Kart 8.

But like the real world sometimes, Tomodachi Life becomes monotonous. You add an islander, feed it, clothe it, decorate its apartment, teach it a song, watch it fall in love. Then you do it all over again … and again … and again.

Even the mini-games you play with Miis start to feel like a chore. I can only take so many match games or guesses at what item is making a particular silhouette.

And if one more Mii asks me to “please look inside my belly,” I’ll start pulling out the hair that’s left on my head. This sort of wackiness wears thin.

To be fair, I haven’t gotten to test the StreetPass features that could extend the game’s life. Each island exports a particular item, and Miis can visit from abroad, presumably coming in handy after you get sick of your own residents.

I also haven’t tried out the image share feature that allows players to post in-game photos they took on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. It’s perfect for a game with so much insanity, and players can show off the bizarre behaviors of the Mii versions of their friends.

And, admittedly, I crammed eight hours of playtime into a week to prepare for this review. Tomodachi Life is best consumed in small amounts; it’s the type of game to play alongside a meatier title.

This all might make for a good match for someone put off by the intensity of Animal Crossing or the too-realness of The Sims. But it’s not as rewarding as either.

Tomodachi Life is available now in stores or for download from the 3DS eShop for $34.99. An early download code was provided by Nintendo for the purpose of this review.

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